Under Pressure
by crescentgaia
Summary: The classic story of how Andromeda and Ted were able to go get married. This is a complete story!
1. Sat on a Fence

**Title: **Sat On a Fence (But It Just Didn't Work)

**Author: **crescentgaia

**Rating: **G

**Word Count: **501

**Summary: **Andromeda is being pressured by her family into a pureblood marriage.

**Warnings:** None

**Notes: **I don't own these characters, JKR does. The title is taken from Queen/David Bowie's Under Pressure.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She sighed as she re-read the letter for what seemed like the millionth time. It didn't help that this was the same letter she was receiving for a while now. Her parents wanted her to have a good life, but this was going too far. That and the fact that she didn't really want to be married to anyone they would suggest, unless it turned out that Ted was a pureblood. She chuckled at the thought, looking amused as Narcissa came into her room at Hogwarts.

"What's funny?" She asked, smiling at her sister.

"Just the name of this one," she replied, covering up the true reason quickly. That was something she had learned to do quickly this year. She was amazed with all the lies that she had come up with, really.

Narcissa looked and smiles. "I like that name. Are you excited? Mother and Father will be sending you an owl of the one they picked and you probably know him already anyways."

Andromeda kept the sigh to herself as she looked at her younger sister. "I am, a bit. I'm also a bit scared." That part was entirely true. She was scared she would just be trapped in a pure blood life forever. She knew that she couldn't survive it.

"I wouldn't be," Narcissa says.

"You say that because you already know who you're going to be with," Andromeda says with a smile. "Lucius is a good pick for you, anyways. And you already know that you love him."

Narcissa blushed at that, but smiled. "I do…I know I'm going to be happy for the rest of my life with him."

"I know you will be," Andromeda said and looked at the time. "I think its bedtime though."

"Alright – yeah, you have NEWTs coming up and I have OWLs. Its hard to believe that I'll be the last one here," Narcissa said and sighed.

"That's not true – Sirius is here. He's in a different house, but he's still family," Andromeda reminded her.

"For the moment he is. Poor Aunt and Uncle – they must be besides themselves with grief over this. And he's enjoying it, which makes me angry at him," she said and wrinkled her nose.

"Don't be angry at him for something that he can't control," Andromeda said gently. "and its not like he's with muggle-borns. He's friends with that Potter boy and they're a good family."

"You're right," Narcissa says with a smile. "You're always right, Andi. How is that?"

"I wouldn't say I'm always right, but I know what you mean," Andromeda says with a smile. "Go on. I'll see you tomorrow."

Narcissa gave her sister a hug before leaving and closing the door behind her. Andromeda got up and locked the door before sinking into the bed. She had half a mind to just burn the letter, but that would give away too much. She didn't know what to really do, and in the end, sitting undecided was the true problem in her life.


	2. Love Dares Us

**Title:** Love Dares Us to Change Our Ways

**Author:** crescent_gaia

**Rating:** G

**Word Count:** 1619

**Summary:** The classic part of the Andromeda and Ted story where Andromeda runs away to marry Ted.

**Warnings:** None.

**Notes:** I don't own these characters, JKR does. The title is taken from Queen/David Bowie's Under Pressure.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Andromeda could feel the train slowing down. She had slept most of her last train ride from Hogwarts to home. It didn't feel like she was going home, it felt more like she was going to a prison. A prison she couldn't escape from no matter how hard she tried to excel academically or be a bit different but stay within the lines. It didn't matter that she wanted to become an auror or a professor, both noble professions. However, as a female member of the Black family, she wasn't allowed to do anything she wanted. All she was allowed to do was go where her parents wanted her to go. Where her parents wanted her to go was to the altar to a loveless pureblood marriage. Her sisters got the advantage of falling in love with the ones they were told to marry. She had no such luxury.

"Andi," Narcissa said gently to her sleeping sister, gently touching her shoulder. Narcissa knew that something was wrong, but couldn't put her finger on it. What was worse was her sister was trying to deny it. "Andromeda," she said again, gently shaking her sister's shoulder a small bit harder. "We're coming into the station."

"Thank you," Andromeda said quietly as she woke up, looking up at her sister. She looked down to her hands where a red rose lay. "did you put this here?" She asked quietly.

"No," Narcissa said quietly. "Possibly was your fiancé. He was in your year, even though he decided not to speak to you for a bit."

"Cissy, I know this is silly, but I highly suspect he likes boys and that's why he's so cold," Andi said quietly.

"And I say you're full of it. It was the shock. Even Lucius was a bit distant at first, but he came around," Cissy said as she shook her head in disbelief at her sister. "Your trunk is ready, right?"

"Yes," Andromeda said as she got up, stretching as she did. She was stiff from the way she was sleeping but got over it quickly. She put the rose in her hair and levitated her trunk down easily. "Did you get yours or do you need help?"

"I already got it," Narcissa said with a smile. "you're so good at those spells, Andi. I envy you."

"And I envy you for other things," Andromeda said with a sad smile to her sister. "I wish I had two more years there."

"All good things come to an end, dear sister," Narcissa said quietly as she took Andromeda's hand to lead her off the train. Andromeda followed, in a trance, as she felt one door of her life closing forever and the love that was there being left behind.

*~*~*~*

It had been a week and she barely unpacked anything herself. The house elf did that for her and she fell into a quiet life. She didn't really speak, save if asked a question. Her parents ignored it, but Narcissa couldn't. She had written to Bellatrix for advice, but none came. She didn't like not being listened to, but there was nothing she could do. She decided to sit back and see what would come of it. Tonight was the night of the masquerade ball where it would be announced that Andromeda was going to be married. She would be able to see Lucius, so she put more thought into what she was going to wear to show off for him.

Andromeda knew what tonight was. She was still listening, even though she wasn't talking. She wasn't looking forward to it, but she knew what to wear. Her new dress, in purples and a touch of green, looked great on her. She knew that, her parents knew that. It fit with the silver mask that would go with the dress that she would wear. She could bring herself to smile and she could bring herself to lie. But to be in that dress and know that she was going to marry someone that she could never love – only because the man she loved was different – broke her heart. She sat down on her bed, forcing herself not to cry when a knock came at the door. "Yes?" she called, grateful that her voice didn't break.

"Are you ready yet?" her mother called through the door. "its nearly seven."

"Yes mother, I will be down in a moment," Andromeda replied as she got up and finished dressing.

"Don't keep everyone waiting," was all her mother said before going back downstairs.

"Yes mother," Andromeda said as she put her jewelry in place. It was jewelry she was going to wear until she was told otherwise – a simple jeweled butterfly on a silver chain. It was the last Christmas present he gave her and the easiest that she could keep on herself. She ran her fingers over the butterfly, forcing herself not to cry. She was a Black after all. One simple fact of her life, one that came with her father's ruling, is that a Black never cries. Bellatrix amended that to a member of the Black family made others cry. She didn't believe in either and couldn't object to it either. She realized that as she went out of her room and started down the stairs. A smile crossed her lips as she saw her cousin, the only one who could truly escape the family. "Sirius," she says.

Sirius looked up and smiled at his cousin. "It's boring in there."

"You say that about a lot of family functions," Andromeda says with a grin.

"Its right about all of them," Sirius says. "You shouldn't be so sad, really. You're going to have a great time."

"How do you know?" Andromeda asks.

Sirius just shrugged his shoulders. "I just do," he says. "Bye!" He said as he ran off.

Andromeda grinned as she shook her head at her younger cousin. She put on her mask before entering the room, looking around through the mask. She noticed her family members, including her youngest cousin. Normally she would go over to them, but she decided to mingle for the time being. It was, after all, a party that was half for her. She might as well try to have fun, even though she didn't want to. Even though she wanted to harden her heart against such a thing, but she knew she couldn't. It was a mixture of the fact that she was put at ease of what was to come by Sirius and accepting that she couldn't change her life. She felt a gentle touch on her arm as a man smiled at her. "Hello," she says with a smile.

"Good evening," he replied, smiling as well. "May I ask the lovely lady to a dance?"

Andi looked at him, the smile seeming familiar but she couldn't place it. "Yes," she says as she takes his hand. He led them out to the dance floor to a dance and she looked up at him. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"What for?" He asked.

"For asking me to dance," she said as she looked into the eyes she could see through the mask. "Who are you?"

"I think you know," the masked man said with a grin. He leaned closer and whispered in her ear "You really think I would let you just go and get forced into marriage when it wasn't me?"

Andromeda grinned, her first for the night. "I was getting worried. So…what's the plan?"

"Wait for it," he said as he waltzed with her. He had to say that in order to focus to not step on her feet. He had hoped that Sirius would be able to do the explosion of fireworks that would be their distraction to get away. It had been hard enough to get the magical amulet so he could go past the barriers placed to keep out muggle-borns. The only easy part of this was getting an invitation to the party as Sirius had been able to grab an extra.

"It being what?" Andromeda asked. She was not used to surprises nor did she like being kept in suspense when she probably had to run in a dress that she might not be able to run in.

The lights started to dim, most of them going out. "For this…follow my lead," he says quietly to her as he stopped as the others did. What he did next was starting to lead Andromeda off of the dance floor, nodding to her as if he gave her instruction to move her so she could see better. It helped that better was towards a side exit that Sirius told him about. Only the house elves and people very curious about the house knew about it. Andromeda looked to where the lights were entirely off and gasped in amazement as she saw fireworks start to go off. She started clapping before Ted gently pulled her out of the house and through the side exit.

"There will be time for more fireworks later?" She asked with a grin as she kissed Ted's lips lovingly.

He gently broke off the kiss. "More as we have to run now and Sirius will grab your stuff later," he said. He took her hand and they quickly moved to outside of the barriers of the house. As they apparated away, the lights started to come back up. It took another hour before anybody noticed Andromeda missing. It took another hour after that to know that she was truly gone. On the third hour of her being gone, she was married to Ted Tonks as her love dared her to change her entire life.


End file.
